Chapter 172: The Park Mystery

The return journey was smooth, with only a slight delay inside the cave.

This time, Li Banfeng encountered no Ma Lu—he walked out step by step on his own.

Sitting beneath the cliff, Li Banfeng felt his legs might fall off at the hips, but his cultivation base had indeed risen significantly; by the calendar, it amounted to over three months.

Taking advantage of the rest, Li Banfeng took the Blue Leaf Pill and swallowed another Golden Core Pill; once he'd recovered sufficiently, he hurried on his way.

Passing through Blood Tooth Mountain, Li Banfeng took the same narrow path Lingli had once walked—no Blood Tooth Monsters appeared. After exiting the Sanpan River, he was no longer restricted and sprinted full speed back to Li Gou.

He had planned to visit Feng's General Store first, to see if Feng the Shopkeeper could obtain a travel permit to Green Water Bay—traveling in the new lands was truly dangerous.

Just as he arrived at Yu's Cloth Shop, Yu Nan stood at the door, smiling brightly: "Seventh Master, you really came."

Li Banfeng halted at the shop's entrance, staring at Yu Nan in surprise: "How did you know I was coming?"

Yu Nan said nothing, grabbed Li Banfeng's hand, and pulled him inside, leading him to the back courtyard, where she opened a single room. Inside sat an old man, clothes disheveled, hair and beard gray-white.

Master Yao!

He had been waiting for Li Banfeng at Yu's Cloth Shop.

He knew Li Banfeng had reached Medicine King Gully and had instructed Yu Nan to wait at the shop's entrance.

Yu Nan brought him in, then quickly left the room. Master Yao pulled out a wine jar, poured two bowls, and gestured for Li Banfeng to sit.

"Young man, this job of yours was brutal."

Li Banfeng shook his head slightly: "The job wasn't hard—delivering medicine was never difficult. The hardship was all self-inflicted."

Master Yao chuckled: "That's not true. If you hadn't fought to contain the insect plague, Pan Dehai that old dog would've kept hounding you."

If he'd truly released those insects, who knows how many people across Pulu Province would've died."

Today, I invited you here for two reasons: first, to settle the wine gourd's contract—since I didn't know if you'd succeed, I kept the contract in my possession."

"Second, I want to give you extra compensation. Tell me what you want."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "You've already given me everything I needed. I don't want anything else."

"I said I'd give it, so I will. Think carefully—I'll settle the gourd's matter first."

The gourd rubbed against Li Banfeng, waiting for his permission.

Li Banfeng placed the gourd on the table.

"Should I step out?" Li Banfeng rose to leave, but Master Yao waved him back.

"Young man, stay seated. I only want to hear her account of how she eradicated the insects. I won't ask about anything else."

The account of eradicating the insects had been told to Master Yao by Pan Dehai; fearing Pan might lie, he had the wine gourd verify it again.

The wine gourd gave a detailed account—she spoke only of eradicating the insects, saying nothing about the Personal Dwelling or anything within it.

When the story was finished, Master Yao sighed: "I knew it—no poison in this world can wipe out an entire species. In the end, only the disciples of Green Flower Seed could do it."

Then he pulled out a contract, burned it before Li Banfeng's eyes, turning it to ash.

Li Banfeng was curious about the contract: "Do all magic treasures require a contract with their master?"

Master Yao shook his head: "Low-tier magic treasures don't need one. High-tier ones, if you can control them, don't need one either."

"The gourd has followed me for years. As for control—I'm not sure I could truly master her. As for affection—I've never trusted affection."

The contract was destroyed. The gourd returned to Li Banfeng's side.

Whether Li Banfeng would sign a contract with the wine gourd was none of Master Yao's business—and he wouldn't interfere.

"Have you decided on your compensation? Don't say you don't want anything—I hate owing people."

Li Banfeng had indeed thought of something: "I acquired a Changlu Silkworm. I want to give it to a friend. What preparations are needed?"

"Changlu Silkworm?" Master Yao frowned. "Did Pan Dehai give it to you?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

Master Yao let out a bitter laugh: "That old bastard never does anything right. You're not a Food Cultivator—giving you this thing is just asking for trouble."

"I want to give it to a Food Cultivator."

"You mean that Fatty? His cultivation is still at Level One, right?"

Li Banfeng nodded.

Master Yao pulled out a packet of medicinal powder and a wine flask, poured the powder into the flask, then filled it to the brim: "Have the Fatty drink this whole flask first, then make him eat the Changlu Silkworm."

"Tell him—if he can't hold out, come find me. I can extract the silkworm—but how he deals with the aftermath, that's his own problem."

Can't hold out?

"Is it because he can't bear the hunger?"

Master Yao shook his head: "Food Cultivators benefit from being hungry—it helps their cultivation grow faster. I'm worried he can't afford it. That Fatty isn't sharp, and he's no money-maker. In less than a year, he'll eat himself bankrupt."

Eat yourself bankrupt?

Li Banfeng took the medicinal wine, drank a few cups with Master Yao, and chatted awhile.

Hearing a bell ring outside, Master Yao rose, wiped his mouth, and said: "I must go—someone's come to pick me up. Stay and have dinner, drink, and sleep with Yu's girl—she misses you."

Li Banfeng answered seriously: "Dinner and drinks are fine, but sleeping together—doesn't that seem inappropriate?"

Master Yao declared sternly: "Why inappropriate? Don't you sleep at night? Just sleep in the same bed with her."

"It's freezing out—two bodies together are warmer. I'm not asking you to do anything else!"

"Alright then," Li Banfeng agreed.

Master Yao stepped outside the cloth shop and climbed into a rickshaw.

The driver didn't ask for a destination or negotiate a fare—he simply pulled the rickshaw and started off.

Master Yao pulled out his flask, took a deep swig, and asked: "Do you know where I'm going?"

The driver chuckled: "You've been gone a long time—you're going home."

Master Yao took another deep swig: "Do you know where my home is?"

The driver laughed again: "Of course. I often stroll past your front gate."

Glug glug glug!

Master Yao drained the flask, wiped his mouth, and asked: "Let's make a deal—could you switch to a different route?"

The driver shook his head: "No. I like this route."

Master Yao pulled out another flask, took a sip, and said: "I'm tough. You won't outlast me."

The driver remained optimistic: "I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait patiently. Keep drinking like this, and one day you might just disappear."

…

Yuezhou Third Hospital.

He Jiaqing lay motionless on his hospital bed.

Zou Guoming, an investigator from the Dark Star Bureau, watched for a moment at the door, inquired about his condition, then left.

In the security squad, he was the most skilled and senior investigator. With his large head and narrow shoulders, his proportions looked odd—he was nicknamed "Big Head" by his team.

When He Jiaqing first fell ill, Zou Guoming and two other officers had been assigned to monitor him around the clock.

But He Jiaqing had remained unconscious for half a year. Big Head couldn't stay indefinitely, yet every few days, he still came to check on him.

This wasn't an official order—it was Big Head's instinct. He always felt there was more to He Jiaqing's case.

This visit wasn't solely for He Jiaqing either. Next to Yuezhou Third Hospital lay Huahu Park—one of Yuezhou's most famous parks.

Recently, a disappearance case occurred there: a female university student named Hu Lishan entered the park alone at 11 p. .

The park's surveillance showed her entering, walking through the woods, and dropping her phone—but no footage showed her leaving.

She vanished inside the park. No body was found—only her abandoned phone.

Her phone records revealed she'd suffered emotional heartbreak—likely why she came to the park at night.

Her boyfriend was investigated thoroughly, and every emotional detail was uncovered—but nothing directly linked to the disappearance.

Unresolved cases are handed over to the Dark Star Bureau. They don't focus on solving crimes—they only need to confirm one thing: whether the case involves an Ability User.

Big Head wasn't particularly interested in this case. He suspected Hu Lishan had simply jumped into Huahu Lake out of despair.

Yet as he followed the surveillance clues around the park, he sensed something was off.

He heard sounds—like a woman crying.

He smelled something—like blood.

Big Head was a Level Five Combatant—the type commonly called a Wu Xiu in Pulu Province.

Though Wu Xiu perception wasn't top-tier, it was far superior to ordinary people's.

He followed the sounds and smells until he reached a Western-style house near the park.

The crying came from behind the house. As Big Head moved to circle around, a piercing shriek cut the crying off abruptly.

"Everyone, please look this way—this Western-style house is the landmark of Huahu Park…"

A tour guide was leading a group.

Big Head glanced at the guide, then walked around to the back of the house.

Nothing was there. No crying. No smell of blood.

This was the Dark Star Bureau's awkward position—they couldn't act openly, and their investigations were often obstructed by interference.

But Big Head was certain: the park was suspicious.

He found a nearby inn, booked a by-the-hour room, rested half the day, then re-entered the park at ten p. .

Ssshhhh! Ssshhhh!

He soon heard a sniffing sound—like someone cold, drawing in snot—or perhaps someone sobbing.

Following the sniffing, Big Head saw the Western house again. The stench of blood here was far stronger than during the day.

The sound and smell came from behind the house. He circled around and saw a woman standing with her back to him.

Each time she inhaled, her shoulders shuddered, her body trembling—she was definitely crying.

She wore jeans and a denim jacket, identical to the back view left by Hu Li Shan on the surveillance footage.

Datou did not approach rashly; as an experienced agent, he knew that seeing this scene meant his mission was already complete.

He pulled out his phone and called the bureau for backup, but after several attempts, he only heard short, sharp busy tones.

The phone wouldn't connect—not because of the bureau's problem, but because his own phone had no signal.

Faced with this sudden emergency, Datou remained calm.

He took another phone from his pocket, bit it between his teeth, pulled out the antenna, aligned its direction, and dialed the bureau.

This was a satellite phone issued by the Dark Star Bureau to agents—cumbersome to use, but relatively reliable.

The number had been dialed for a long time, yet there was still no response.

Even the satellite phone wouldn't connect?

Datou grew tense.

He saw Hu Li Shan walking forward.

Where was she going?

What state was she in?

Was she still alive?

Datou was still hesitating whether to follow her, when suddenly he realized he had already followed her.

His legs hadn't moved, yet his distance from Hu Li Shan hadn't changed—he was moving with her.

The surroundings, including the ground beneath his feet and the houses beside him, were slowly receding.

The ground beneath Hu Li Shan suddenly twisted, as if ripples were spreading across the hard gravel path.

Ripples! Ahead of her, the original wall had vanished, replaced by a fog-thickened lake surface.

Hu Li Shan stepped into the lake water, pulling Datou in with her.

Cold lake water flooded into his pants; Datou struggled desperately, but his legs refused to move.

Not just his feet—his arms were also stiffening rapidly; his entire body was paralyzed.

Hu Li Shan slowly sank beneath the surface.

Stiff and immobile, Datou clutched the satellite phone and vanished with her beneath the lake.

The ripples faded; the ground hardened again, as if nothing had ever happened.

Lake water kept pouring into his mouth and nose; as Datou lost consciousness, he gazed at the pitch-black lake surface and plunged into total darkness.

Is this how I die?

Die in the middle of a missing persons case?

Datou refused to accept it.

But it was useless—he couldn't move his limbs, and would drown helplessly.

Huh~

A hand reached through the ground and pulled Datou out of it.

Drenched in lake water and mud, Datou lay on the ground vomiting repeatedly; someone stood beside him, watching silently.

Datou lifted his head and looked at the person beside him.

He Jiaqing!

He Jiaqing, who had been lying in bed during the day?

"H-how is this possible? It's… you…"

"You should thank me first," He Jiaqing smiled. "You just entered Xin Di.

Didn't expect it, did you? Even Waizhou has Xin Di.

Don't think your fifth-layer cultivation base saves you—if I hadn't rescued you, you'd be dead for sure.

Still want to go in and take a look?

You're a bold one. I can take you again."

PS: This character, Datou, first appeared in Chapter Five, mentioned only by name.

(End of Chapter)